Fudge Bars

1 cup margarine
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanlla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 cups of oats
2 cups chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp. margarine
2 tsp. vanilla

Cream together margarine, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Add flour, baking soda salt and oats and mix; set aside.

In medium sauce pan melt chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk, margarine and vanilla.

Grease a 9x13 casserole dish and spread 2/3 of the cookie batter. Pour melted chocolate mixture on top. Dot with remaining batter.

Bake at 350º for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Roasted Chicken

1 roasting chicken, thawed
1 lemon, wedged
1 onion, wedged
Cloves of garlic
Parsley
Poultry seasoning
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 250º.

Rinse out chicken, remove gizzards, etc., pat dry. Place in roasting pan, breast side up.

Squeeze lemon juice from lemon wedges over the top. Fill chicken cavity with lemon rinds, onion, and garlic. Generously sprinkle parsley, poultry seasoning and olive oil over top.

Bake for 5 hours. The last 20 minutes of roasting, turn oven to 425º for a crispy skin.

Remove from oven, cover with foil and let rest for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Orange Chicken

1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup apricot preserves
1 cup Catalina salad dressing
6 chicken breasts

Combine onion soup mix, apricot preserves, and Catalina dressing. Pour into a 9x13 inch pan or baking dish. Add the chicken, making sure all sides are covered with the sauce.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes, until chicken is cooked all the way through.

Serve with rice.

Curry & Rice

2 chicken breasts

2 Tbsp. oil

5 Tbsp. butter

¼ cup onions, minced

3 carrots, sliced

⅓ cup flour

¼ cup yellow curry powder

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. chicken bouillon

2 cups water

1 14-oz can coconut milk

1 tsp. lemon juice

Dice chicken and sauté with oil in a large sauce pan until golden brown and cooked through.  Remove from pan and set aside. 

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat.  Suté onions and carrots until tender.  Whisk in flour, curry, sugar, ginger, salt and bouillon.  Add water and coconut milk and whisk until smooth and thickened.  Add more milk if needed.  Stir in cooked chicken and lemon juice.

Serve over rice with suggested toppings: raisins and coconut.

Hash Brown Sausage Bake

½ pkg. frozen hash browns, southern style, thawed

⅓ cup butter, melted

1 tsp. beef bouillon granules

1 lb. ground pork sausage

⅓ cup onion, diced

1 cup cottage cheese

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a deep round dish, combine hash browns, butter and granules. Cover and bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown sausage and onion; drain.

In a large bowl combine browned sausage, cottage cheese, eggs and cheese. Pour on top of baked hash browns. Return to the oven and bake at 350° for an additional 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Penne Pasta Bake

1 1/2 cups penne pasta, uncooked
1 9-oz. pkg. fresh spinach
1 lb. chicken, uncooked & chunked
1 tsp. dried basil
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
2 oz. cream cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta adding spinach to boiling water for last minute; drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook and stir chicken & basil in large skillet for 3 minutes. Add sauce and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cook until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Stir in cream cheese, half of mozzarella cheese and pasta mixture. Spoon into a 9x13 pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses and bake for 5 more minutes.

Nutmeg Syrup

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

2 cups cold water

2 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. vanilla 

In a large saucepan, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and water until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla.

Serve with waffles, pancakes or French toast.

Bath Tub Paint

2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup liquid dish soap
4-5 drops food coloring
3 Tbsp. water

In a muffin tin, add cornstarch (ingredient amounts listed are per muffin tin cup). Mix dish soap and food coloring; stir until smooth and color is fully incorporated. Add water and stir.

Give each child a paintbrush and let them paint the bathtub while bathing or just before bath time.

Kool-Aid Play Dough

1 cup flour
1 Tbsp. oil
1 pkg. Kool-Aid
1/4 cup salt
2 Tbsp. cream of tartar
1 cup water

Combine all ingredients.

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

1 chicken breast (can be frozen)
1/2 red onion, diced
Barbeque sauce
1 can black beans
1 can corn
cheddar cheese
Tortillas

Place chicken and onion in crock-pot. Pour barbecue sauce over and cook on high for 4 hours. Gently shred chicken.

Heat skillet, place tortilla then cheese, then a scoop of black beans, corn, then some chicken mixture and top with more cheese and another tortilla. Brown both sides until cheese is melted.

Serve with sour cream, lettuce, olives, mango salsa, etc.

Jason's Deli Fruit Dip

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. orange extract

Mix sour cream with brown sugar until it dissolves. Add extract and mix. Chill for an hour and serve with fresh fruit.

Savory Cheeseball

1 16-oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 cups medium cheddar cheese, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 green onions, diced
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, crushed
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 cup pecans, chopped
½ jar raspberry chipotle salsa

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, cheddar, onions, garlic, rosemary and garlic salt. Mix with hand mixer until smooth.

Form into 2 balls and roll in chopped pecans. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, pour salsa over top and serve with crackers.

Flower Food

1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. bleach
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 quart warm water

Combine all ingredients and fill flower vase. Change water as needed.

Pina Coladas

1 15-oz. can Cream of Coconut*
1 6-oz. can pineapple juice
Ice

Add coconut and pineapple juice in blender. Fill blender up with ice and blend. Serve immediately.

*Cream of Coconut is usually found near the liquor section in grocery stores (try the Coco Lopez brand)

Cake Mix Cupcakes

1 box cake mix (any flavor)

1 ⅓ cup water

3 large egg whites

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Optional Raspberry Frosting (best with white cake mix):

1 container fresh raspberries

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup powdered sugar

powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat cake mix, water, egg whites, melted butter, almond extract, and vanilla for 2 minutes. Spoon approximately ¼ cup of batter into a lined or greased muffin tin. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden on top. 

For raspberry frosting, beat together cream and 1/3 cup powdered sugar until firm peaks form. Coarsely mash raspberries and gently fold into whipped cream.

Slice cupcake tops.  Spoon raspberry whipped topping onto cupcake bottoms. Place cupcake tops on filled cupcakes. Dust top with additional powdered sugar.

Tomato Soup

4 tomatoes - peeled, seeded and diced
4 cups tomato juice
14 leaves fresh basil
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste

Place tomatoes and juice in a large pot over medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the tomato mixture along with the basil leaves, and return the puree to the pot.

Place the pot over medium heat, and stir in the heavy cream and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Do not boil.

Spaeztle

3 eggs
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. oil
1/2 cup water

Combine eggs, flour, salt, oil and water in mixing bowl. Let rest for 10 minutes. Boil a large pot of lightly salted water. Using a course cheese grater (the flat side up), a cupful at a time, press dough through grater into boiling water. Boil until noodles float (about 3-5 minutes). Drain and set aside.

Serve with schnitzel and cream gravy.

Red Macaroni & Cheese

8 oz. whole wheat rotini noodles
1 cup cream
2 cans tomato sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella
2 cups frozen broccoli florets
½ cup ham, diced

Follow package directions for cooking noodles. During the last 3 minutes of boiling, add broccoli. Drain, set aside.

In a small pan, mix cream, tomato sauce and cheese. Heat until cheese melts and remove from heat.

In a casserole dish, combine noodles, broccoli, sauce and lunch meat. Top with mozzarella cheese and bake at 350° for 15 – 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Serve with French bread.

Aunt Mary's Rolls

½ cup warm water
1 pkg. yeast (or 1 Tbsp. yeast)
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup shortening
¾ cup sugar
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold water
4 eggs, beaten
8 cups flour (approx)

In a small bowl, combine warm water, yeast and sugar; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together shortening and sugar. Add boiling water and mix. Add cold water, yeast mixture and eggs. Slowly add flour and mix. Do not knead or beat. Dough will be soft and somewhat sticky.

Raise for 1 hour. Roll into desired shape rolls and raise for 15 more minutes.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.